Liefde: Tweede
by Xazz
Summary: Habibi: you don't know my mom Habibi: she is terrifying and Cuban You: is that supposed to mean something to me? Habibi: CUBAN WOMEN ARE SCARY OKAY! -oneshot-


Doing this story similar to Tales From Seal Beach. All parts are basically stand-alone and can be read in any order, though they _do_ have an order, which you can figure out via ages and times.

As last time, spoken italics are English, not italics are Dutch and 'katje' means 'kitten' in Dutch.

* * *

Habibi: this is a bad idea

Habibi: omg this is such a bad idea

Habibi: my parents are literally going to murder me when they find out what I'm doing

Habibi: if

Habibi: if they find out what I'm doing

You: I take it you're at the airport?

Habibi: and trying not to hyperventilate

You: you're fine

You: it's not like you're a kid

Habibi: tell that to my mother

Habibi: omg she would /skin/ me if she knew I was doing this

Habibi: like just… omg

You: you're really over reacting

Habibi: dude

Habibi: you don't know my mom

Habibi: she is terrifying and Cuban

You: is that supposed to mean something to me?

Habibi: CUBAN WOMEN ARE SCARY OKAY!

You: just take a deep breathe and calm down

You: it'll be okay

You: Yusuf?

Habibi: Sorry, just went through security

Habibi: why is Miami airport so big?

Habibi: /whines

You: It's okay Yusuf

You: Now, I have to go to work. Will you be okay?

Habibi: You're going to work?

You: Yes, it's six am here, remember?

You: I'll pick you up when I get out of work

You: Okay?

You: Yusuf?

Habibi: yeah, sorry… I just had a freak out but I'm at my gate so…

You: omg

You: please tell me you really didn't just have a freak out in the airport

Habibi: mental freak out

Habibi: I'm fine

Habibi: I'm fine

You: You sure?

You: I'll tell Altair I'm ganna be late if you need me to stay

Habibi: my flight's in like…

Habibi: forty minutes

You: yeah, okay

Habibi: brb

Rauf levered himself off his chair and practically fell out of his room. "Altair," he called, righting himself in the hallway and stumbling towards the open door a few steps away. He found his housemate in the bathroom shaving quickly. He was running late too.

"What?" he asked, not looking at Rauf, but at his own reflection, though his razor was poised at his throat motionlessly.

"I need like forty minutes," he said.

"What? Why? You're already dressed as it is and we open in an hour," and he took the final swipe across his throat and checked his reflection.

"Yusuf's sort of having a mental break down at the airport," he said.

"Oh," Altair sobered at once. "Yeah, sure, forty minutes, whatever, just get in before the rush," he said drying his face quickly, now moving with more purpose knowing that Rauf was going to probably be in late.

"I will," Rauf promised as Altair nudged past him to finish dressing. He went back to his room and grabbed his laptop, putting it and himself on his bed.

Habibi: so I decided I needed some food

Habibi: maybe before my flight

Habibi: which sounds like a good idea

Habibi: hopefully I won't throw up on the flight

Habibi: maybe food wasn't a good idea actually

Habibi: I feel kinda sick just looking at it

Habibi: but now I have this banana nut muffin

Habibi: and don't know what to do with it

Habibi: I'm just kinda… staring at it

Habibi: wishing it'd grow legs and walk away

Habibi: cause it isn't going into my stomach

Habibi: wouldn't stay there at any rate

Habibi: omg I am a loser

You: back

You: okay… uh wow

Habibi: wb

You: first off, no, you aren't a loser

You: you're an amazing and gorgeous young man who's just nervous about a trip

You: second off, eat something that's not a muffin

You: I'm sure they have restaurants there

Habibi: yeah but I'm cheap

You: and go to one and eat something /real/

You: cause you're ganna be nine hours on a flight here and the food they serve is shit

You: probably better then domestic

You: but still

Habibi: I'm not hungry anymore

Habibi: I just threw away

You: omg

You: no

You: bad Yusuf!

You: go eat

You: I bet you didn't eat dinner either /sigh

Habibi: lols, no actually mama crammed an entire dinner on me before I left

Habibi: though that was… hours ago

Habibi: guuuuh

You: GO EAT DAMNIT!

Habibi: I dun waaaana QnQ

You: Yusuf

You: katje

Habibi: SKDjhafsdk

Habibi: don't you katje me

You: you really need to go eat something or you're going to regret it. Seriously you're going to land starving and exhausted and jet lagged as all hell and you'll still have a few hours until dinner when you get here

Habibi: what if I can't keep it down?

You: are you at that point?

Habibi: I… I think so

You: just try?

You: for me katje

Habibi: skjagsfkhelfweksjgfkwelh

Habibi: fine

Habibi: for you

You: 3 3 3 3

Habibi: okay

Habibi: okay, I'm sitting at a Starbucks

Habibi: which is like the only thing that's open

Habibi: happy?

You: yes

You: order something yummy and hopefully not entirely a pastry

You: still panicking?

Habibi: yes

Habibi: I don't want my parents to find out

Habibi: I'll get the "you shouldn't talk to strangers on the internet speech"

Habibi: which I don't want

You: which nobody wants

Habibi: Ezio's covering for me though

Habibi: even though I'll be basically MIA for the next month

Habibi: my mom is ganna have a heart attack just from that

Habibi: The longest I've not talked to her was a week.

Habibi: she's not going to be happy about me 'forgetting my charger'

You: did you?

Habibi: of course not!

You: good

You: and she'll get over it

Habibi: I hope so

Habibi: and now there is food in front of me

You: eat

You: once you get on the plane I have to go btw

You: as it is Altair said I could come in late

You: but there's always a breakfast rush

You: and I'm the only one who can make omelets the right way

Habibi: are you serious?

You: Altair has a problem with cooking them long enough

You: which I'm not surprised about

You: he likes his super runny

You: it's pretty disgusting watching him eat eggs

Habibi: yeah sounds like

You: try and sleep on the flight

You: cause when you get here it's ganna be five pm

Habibi: guu

Habibi: that was another thing

Habibi: telling my mom why my flight was sooooo early

Habibi: or late…

Habibi: I dunno which it is at this point

You: well like you said, Ezio's covering for you

You: and if you're going to see him in Oregon it makes perfect sense. Thus you arrive in time to go to bed.

Habibi: I guess

You: you eat?

Habibi: yes

You: good

Habibi: I'm back at my gate now

Habibi: I just sort of want to collapse

You: not yet

You: wait till you get on the plane

Habibi: okay

You: be sure to message me when you land, got it?

Habibi: I'll try

Habibi: I don't know if I'll be able to

Habibi: cause of service issues and stuff

You: right

You: fuck, I forgot

You: Malik's coming with me to get you btw

Habibi: just one of them?

You: he said he's afraid of letting me drive by myself with you in the car

You: cause he thinks I won't be able to keep me hands to myself

Habibi: asjkgshdkfhlsdfhjged

Habibi: o/o

You: lol

You: and we're ganna go to the restaurant for dinner and then back to the house

You: cause no doubt you'll be totally exhausted

Habibi: Probably

You: You okay?

Habibi: yeah

Habibi: I'm just kinda… winding down from my freak out earlier and the stress and… yeah

Habibi: I'm fine

Habibi: promise

You: okay good 3

Habibi: Fuck

Habibi: they're calling for boarding

You: go on then

You: I'll see you in a few hours

Habibi: I think I might vomit

You: asjhsad

You: no,

You: don't do that

Habibi: excited vomiting

You: NO VOMITING

You: AT ALL!

Habibi: okay

Habibi: no vomiting

Habibi: I'm on the plane now

Habibi: there is like… no one on this flight

You: reason you're catching a red eye

You: so hopefully no screaming children

Habibi: yes

You: I need to go to work now

You: you're going to be /fine/

You: and there is a bag in front of you if you actually need to throw up

You: okay?

Habibi: okay

Habibi: have fun at work

You: and you try and get some sleep, k?

Habibi: k

You: good

You: I love you and I'll see you soon

You: never thought I'd actually get to say that!

Habibi: I love you too

You: 3

Habibi: 3

You have logged off.

With a sigh Rauf slapped his laptop closed and put it back on his desk. A bit of him was a little worried and he was nervous too. Fuck nervous didn't even begin to cover it. He'd never done anything like this before in his life. Hell he'd never really had a good internet friend before, let alone a _boyfriend_ he'd met over the internet. Let alone meet one. He was sort of terrified. But damnit he was almost thirty, he was going to be a man about it. Especially since Yusuf was being a wreck enough for the both of them.

He pulled on his shoes and grabbed a few things, shoving wallet, phone and keys into his pockets before pulling on his fall jacket. It was just cold enough right now to need a bit more then a thin jacket, but not cold enough for a real coat yet.

"Man, you're late," Faruq said from the kitchen once he was downstairs.

"It's my restaurant. It's physically impossible for me to be late," Rauf grumbled.

"Today's the day that kid comes and visits isn't it?" his friend asked, standing at the counter making oatmeal for himself.

"He isn't a kid," Rauf muttered.

"Can he even drink?"

"He's over eighteen Faruq, god."

"In the States I mean," he said with a smirk.

Rauf rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for this. I have to go to work," he huffed. "Which is more then I can say for you," he gave his friend a look.

"What? I work. Today's my day off. Go fuck yourself," Faruq grumbled. "I'm not like you and Altair who only take Sunday off and that's only because Malik would murder him if he didn't take a day," he said being snippy cause it was so early and they both knew it. Faruq was _not_ a morning person. Neither was Malik or Faruq's father. That was why both of them were still sleeping. Faruq physically couldn't sleep once people were up though and he and Altair were both up early for work, thus waking Faruq, and he always bitched about it when he saw them, if he saw them.

Rauf rolled his eyes, "Dinner's at six, be at the restaurant," he ordered.

"Right, right," he muttered and went back to his oatmeal. Rauf was out the door before he even heard the second word.

—

Normally on Monday they closed early. Sunday they were closed all day and Monday they didn't serve dinner. This was mainly so both Altair and Rauf could have something resembling some sort of social life as they both worked every day. Their place was new, only a few months old, and they didn't have the money to pay other cooks to come in even if they wanted to. This was their baby god damnit. But even so they only had one souse chef and a dishwasher along with the wait staff and such. Neither of them could afford to not come in every day.

But it was Monday, and Monday they closed early at five pm. Which was, of course, when Yusuf was coming in. It was four but they weren't starting to clean up like they usually did. Today they were having a small party with their house mates and some close friends, so less then a dozen people, and they were prepping for that.

"Rauf," Altair said as he was preparing some meat. He looked up and almost sliced the tip of his finger off. Altair gave him a look before saying, "Just _go_. Fuck you've been half useless all day."

"What? I've been fine!"

"You've been looking at the clock every five minutes- see!" he cried when indeed Rauf did look at the clock that was also their iHome that they played awful, American, nineties boy-band music on. "Malik's been in since ten, I give you permission to kidnap him to the airport."

"I can go by myself," Rauf grumbled and looked back down at what he had been doing.

"Yeah, right," he didn't have to look to know Altair was rolling his eyes. "Now," and suddenly the knife was snatched out of his hand, "Go. To. The. Airport," he was ordered. "And don't let Malik near him. He corrupts all things pure."

Rauf opened his mouth, one to say that Yusuf wasn't exactly _pure_, and another to say he didn't need Malik to come with him. He was a grown ass man damnit! Instead he just snapped it shut, "Fine," he said and stepped to the sink to wash his hands. "Fine," he said again, now almost irritable and undid the buttons on his chef's jacket. "I'll see you in a while then," and then, jacket open, he left the kitchen. As he did he heard Altair said, 'thank god!'. He refrained from commenting.

He stuck his head into the manager's office where Malik was. When the restaurant had started to become a real thing Malik had been amazingly supportive. He'd even quit his other job to work for them as a full time day and night manager as well as the book keeper. Rauf still didn't know how Altair managed to get a guy like Malik but he was _not_ complaining, cause Malik was a saint for putting up with not just Altair but also himself and Faruq for the past… ten years now? Nearly at any rate. He was still waiting to see which of them would buckle first and ask for the other's hand. They were both stubborn though and wanted the other to ask. At any rate it'd have to wait now since for sure neither of them could afford a ring, or a wedding. "Malik, Altair is banishing us."

"What?" Malik's head popped up from his work. It looked like he was doing food orders. "Banishing… do I need to kick his ass?"

"Airport time. Banishing," Rauf said.

"Oh! Oh, right," and he was suddenly scrambling to stand up. His haste sent half a dozen papers and a notebook to the floor. Rauf stepped in and picked them up, putting them on his desk as he pulled on his jacket. "All right, lets go," and then he was shoving Rauf out the office door and across the empty restaurant floor and then out the front door. "Nervous?"

"Excited?" he asked right back and crawled into the passenger side of Malik's car.

"Practically the same thing," Malik said cheerfully and threw Rauf a smile before pulling out of the parking spot marked 'manager'- which he'd gotten out of Altair for threatening to do things that his boyfriend wouldn't have liked in the slightest- that was right next to the door. "I'm surprised you didn't screw up orders today."

"_Please_," Rauf huffed, "I _am_ a professional," and gave Malik a shrewd look.

"It still amazes me you and Altair are," he teased pulling out onto the street. Rauf just gave him a look, it made Malik chuckle.

—

"So where is he?" Malik asked as they meandered through the airport. They'd checked the flight schedule and Yusuf's flight had come in early.

"No idea," Rauf said. "He doesn't have service here."

"PA system? We've been wandering for like ten minutes."

Rauf rolled his eyes, "Because calling for someone who doesn't speak Dutch is a great idea," he said.

"They could say it in English, I mean they do announcements in English sometimes too," Malik said.

"Yeah well I don't want to… Malik why did you stop?"

"You're fucking blind," Malik informed him, grabbing his jacket sleeve and yanking him around. "That what you're looking for?" he asked pointing. Indeed it was. Standing against the wall was Yusuf, very obviously. He was slightly hunched, tired looking and standing over his suitcase and backpack which were on the ground at his feet. He had one of his bandanas on to try to control that mess he called hair, but more then a few locks had slipped out to curl around his face. Rauf felt all the air rush out of him all at once. "Well?" Malik brought him back to reality. "You going to just stand here?"

"Right, right," Rauf said, his voice weak and thin.

"Oh my god, you're a wreck," Malik said, "Go," and then shoved Rauf forward. He stumbled a little but didn't fall and quickly righted himself. He glanced back at Malik who just gave him a little shooing motion with his hand before looking forward again. He could do this. He could totally do this. Right? Right.

He walked over to the exhausted looking man, who was staring at his phone, scrolling through something. Rauf swallowed and suddenly couldn't say anything. Then he snapped out of it, he'd been waiting for this. He was excited _for this_. They always joked about stuff like this, and seeing each other before Rauf actually turned thirty and had his midlife crisis. And now, right now, it was real.

"_Hey_," he said, his voice sounded weird to his own ears, and not just because it was in English.

Yusuf's head shot up and looked like he was about to drop his phone. "_Oh my god,_" he said and then he had a slight grin curling across his lips and Rauf took the next three steps right up to him and hugged him. Yusuf hugged him back tightly, and pressed his face into Rauf's shoulder.

They stood there for what felt like a long time, pressed up together. It might have only been a few seconds but to Rauf it felt like forever since this was the first time they'd met. Fuck it was the first time they'd _touched_, ever. Then finally he felt he could untangle himself from the younger man, just a bit at least, and leaned back, but couldn't actually take his hands off him. Instead then came up to frame his face. "_Look at you_," he said.

Yusuf choked out a single staccatoed laugh, _"Me? Look at you. You're so short_," he said, face wide in a smile. Behind them he heard Malik laugh. Indeed though, Yusuf was about five to seven centimeters taller then him. Rauf was used to it though, he was forever looking up at everyone. That tended to happen when you were only a hundred and seventy-one centimeters tall. Still, he just smiled, instead of taking offense like he normally would when someone made a crack at his height. He couldn't find it in himself to care right now.

"Fuck, just kiss already. You're killing me," Malik said, not loudly, but loud enough that he knew Rauf would hear.

He ran his thumbs across Yusuf's face twice before, a bit hesitantly, he brushed his lips against Yusuf's. The younger man blushed and let himself be kissed lightly. Then he was being hugged again, tightly, to the point it was almost hard to breathe. He didn't mind though and he'd have just been happy to stand there in the airport for the rest of the day with Yusuf's arms around his neck and head on his shoulder. "_The goat's filming us,_" Yusuf suddenly said.

"What?" and Rauf let him go and twisted his head around. Malik indeed had his phone out, very obviously recording them. "Seriously Malik?" he asked.

"What? It's cute, and you'll never meet for the first time again," and Malik grinned broadly at him.

Rauf turned back around to Yusuf, who just sort of looked slightly confused, "Yeah, you're right," and he pressed his lips against Yusuf's again. _"We should get going_," he said, though really had to pry himself off the younger man.

"_You both look like you could use a drink_," Malik chimed in, _"And the kid a nap."_

_"I can't drink_," Yusuf said.

"_Not in the States you can't,_" Malik said with a broad, cunning, grin. "He's adorable Rauf, where the hell did you get him?"

"Oh shut up," Rauf frowned. _"Is this all you brought?_" he asked motioning to the bags at his feet.

"_Yeah_," Yusuf nodded. Rauf picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "_Rauf you don't-_

_"Shush, I am_," and that was pretty much the end of it as he took hold of Yusuf's wheeled suitcase as well. "_You have a good flight?" _he asked and took Yusuf's hand with his free hand.

_"No screaming children_," he said.

_"Lucky_," Malik said. "_I did a semester abroad once, and there were several on my trip to America_. Also you going to introduce us Rauf? Wow rude much."

"Ah! Right, sorry," he said sheepishly. _"Also, Yusuf, this is Malik, also known as the goat. We're going to meet Altair and Faruq- uh, little pots,"_ he shrugged when Malik sent him a look. "He doesn't really know you guys beyond me and Tumblr," he explained.

_"Do you all speak English?"_ Yusuf asked.

_"With varying degrees of effectiveness_," Rauf said. "_Zaki, Faruq's father, speaks like none-_

_"And Altair butchers it so badly he might as well not_," Malik put in. _"You'll be fine though. Most of us can speak _some_ English._"

_"Oh well that's good. Cause I don't know any Dutch_," Yusuf said.

"_Maybe we'll fix that. How long are you here for again?_"

"_Three weeks_."

"Plenty of time to teach him the dirty words then," Malik said with a smirk.

"You keep it to yourself Malik," Rauf growled as the walked out of the airport.

"_We'll have you speaking Dutch by then,_" Malik promised Yusuf. "_Or at least enough to be able to ask where the bathroom is_," and he laughed.

"_But a lot of us know English. That shouldn't be a problem_," Rauf added. _"It's required school lessons. So it's sort of impossible to not know at least a little bit."_

_"_He looks like he's about to faint-

"He did just have a nine hour flight," Rauf huffed.

_"Where are we going?" _Yusuf asked as they walked into the parking-lot.

"_The restaurant. We're having a little get together with the rest of the house and a few friends. Don't worry, they all speak English,_" Malik explained. "_Though from the looks of it you're just ganna wanna eat and then go to bed."_

_"I think I could use that drink you mentioned_," Yusuf said with a sigh. Malik laughed.

"_We will definitely get you that drink_," Malik promised as they got to the car. Rauf loaded Yusuf's stuff into the trunk and they both got into the back seat, though Malik was driving. He was now insanely glad Malik had come, cause despite what he'd said his friends had been right. He wasn't in a good condition to drive. Mainly because he could barely let go of Yusuf's hand. "Able to behave yourself Rauf?" Malik asked from the driver's seat.

"Go to hell Malik. I am perfectly well behaved. Unlike you," he scowled a bit at his friend.

Malik chuckled and pulled out of the parking space, "We'll see how long you stay that way," he chirped and Rauf just groaned.

"Not all of us are perverts like you Malik."

"Hey, if I had blue balls for three years with _that_ at the other end of a Skype call you wouldn't blame me for it."

"How are we friends again?" Rauf asked, though was also secretly pleased Malik thought his boyfriend, _boyfriend_, was attractive. He'd tell it to Altair and watch him glower at Malik later, because that was always fun.

"The same way you're a mature adult with a business," Malik said, glancing back at him in the rear-view mirror. "He sleeping?"

"Huh?" and Rauf looked next to him. Yusuf had been quiet, but he'd just sort of chalked it up at not knowing what to say. But no, he was asleep, chin on his chest. "Yeah," he said.

"Hands to yourself then," Malik said.

"Shut up," was all Rauf said and squeezed Yusuf's hand. Malik said nothing more, satisfied with his teasing for a time, and just drove. Yusuf sagged where he had managed to remain upright to lean against Rauf and he smiled faintly.

-fin-


End file.
